Fairground: Thrill Laboratory

Fairground: Thrill Laboratory

Brendan Walker

Brendan Walker - Fairground: Thrill Laboratory

17 October - 1 November 2006

Event

Location: Dana Centre

Curated by 'thrill engineer' Brendan Walker, Fairground: Thrill Laboratory presented a heady mix of three classic British fairground rides - the 'Miami Trip', the 'Ghost Train' and the 'Booster' - with an international team of scientists, artists, performers, technologists, psychologists and showmen, alongside a carnival of experimentation, performance and discussion. Over three weeks in October 2006 an inspiring team of specialists led explorations in pleasure, frisson and excitement. Lucky winners of the Thrill-Lab-Lotto braved the rides while hooked up to monitoring devices that captured their physiological data and facial expressions. The data was beamed around the laboratory via a specially developed telemetry system for audience analysis and delectation.

About the artist

Initially trained as an aeronautical engineer at Imperial College, Brendan Walker is an artist researcher and engineer. His design practice Aerial specialises in the creation of tailored emotional experience, blending strategies from the arts, engineering and psychology.